Thomas



(No Model.)

T. J. GAIN.

BOBBIN WINDER FOR SEWING MACHINES. No. 301,088;

Patented July 1, 1884.,f

XWENY OR WITNESSES 3,5 tion.

40 I? removed.

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THOMAS J. GAIN, 'OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 'IO SEYMOUR O.

PRENIISS, OF SAME PLACE.

BOBBIN- -WINDER FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

EPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 301,088, dated July 1, 1884:.

Applicaiionfiled June 22, 1883. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. GAIN, of Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and v State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bobbin-WVinders for SewingMachines and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of my invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains 10 to make and use it, reference being had to the "accompanying drawings, in which similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

My invention relates to the class of bobbin- 1 winders known as automatic bobbin-winders, in which, by the operation of the several parts, the winding of the bobbin is aecomplished without requiring the attention of the operator, and is discontinued automatically at 20 the moment the bobbin is filled; and my invention consists in an improved method of forming a tension upon the thread as it is wound upon the bobbin, and leading it to the bobbin in such manner as to cause it to wind 2 5 evenly and smoothly upon the bobbin, securing an increased amount of thread upon the bobbin and a more equal and perfect stitch when the bobbin is used in the shuttle. 1 accomplish these objects by mechanism illuse trated in the accompanying drawings, in

which Figure 1 represents in front elevation a view of myirnprovement with the parts in the position which they occupy while in opera- Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with the parts in the same position as in Fig.

1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 06 yof Fig. 2. Fig. l is atop view of the winding mechanism as it would appear with the trough Fig. 5 is a front view, and Fig. 6 a side view, of the tension-elamp and guide. Fig. 7 is a top view ofthe trough removed in the view shown in Fig. 4; and Fig. 8 is a detached top view of the latch K, shown in Figs.

.5 1, 2, and 4.

A is a frame adapted to be attached to a lug, M, projecting from the arm of a sewing-machine, or otherwise so attached as tobe firmly fixed,and placed so that when the parts of the 1 and 4 the wheel II will be in contact with the driving-belt of the sewing-machine at its curved surface.

B is a trough attached to the frame A in a horizontal position, and should be'true and smooth upon its inner surface, and provided with a longitudinal slot, as shown in Fig. 7.

G and C are hollow bearings attached to the frame A in a true line with each other, below the trough B and parallel with it. Through the bearing Gis journalcd a carrier, D, with a friction-wheel, H, at its outer end,and a recess formed in its inner end to receive and fit one end of a bobbin, thus forming a live-center to carry and revolve the bobbin E. The journal of the liveeenter D is so formed as to permit a spring, L, to be placed around it within the bearing 0, and to bear against a shoulder on the journal or against a pin in the journal in such manner as to press the journal toward the bobbin; and the journal should be so formed as to be movable endwise in its bearings for about one-quarterineh. In the other bearing, 0, is journaled a sliding center, F, fitted to carry the other end of the bobbin with as little friction as possible, but so as to prevent all lateral play of the bobbin. In the journal of the center F a slot is out, into which a pin, G, passes through the shell of the bearing 0, and thus prevents the cen ter F from revolving, but allows it to move endwise in its bearings. Thus when a bobbin is placed between the two centers D and F it is held firmly in place-as in a latheby the pressure of the springL; and to avoid any slipping and insure the revolution of the bobbin the center D is provided with asmallprojecting lug or a pin, to enter a slot or a hole in the end of the bobbin; or any other suitable device for that purpose may be used.

In order to hold the wheel II in contact with the belt of the sewing-machine while the bobbin is being wound, a latch, K, is hinged to the frame A in such a position that when it is brought up against the shaft of the bobbinthe bobbin and the centers which carry it will be forced into the position shown in Figs. 1, 8, and 4, in which position the curved surface of mechanism are in the position shown in Figs. 50

the wheel H, by the location of the frame A upon the sewing-machine, must press against the belt, and thus motion will be imparted to the wheel H and the bobbin will be revolved.

To permit the disengagement of the wheel H from the belt, the centers D and F at the inner ends, which carry the bobbin, are each provided with a shoulder or projection formed in the shape of a truncated cone,with the base toward the wheel H, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, and so proportioned that the truncate tops of the cones will be of the diameter of the end of the bobbin, by means of which device. as the thread winds upon the bobbin, it forces the latch K downward and outward, and as soon ,as the layers of thread have filled the bobbin the latch K reaches the conical side of the centers, and the force of. the spring L drives the centers and bobbin away from the belt,

the conical centers easily sliding upon and bearing down the latch, and as soon as the wheel H is out of contact with the belt the winding instantly stops.

If desired, the latch K may beheld up against the bobbin by alight spring suitably applied; but in practical application this will be found unnecessary, as the latch will be held in place by the pressure of the spring L.

The above-described parts, aside from the trough B, are those by which the winding of the thread and the disengagement of the mechanism from the driving-belt are effected, and are not of my invention, except in so far as they are combined with the trough and tension-clamp and guide, now to be described.

To insure the even winding of the thread on the bobbin, I apply a tension, which consists of the trough B andatension-clamp.- (Shownin Figs. 5 and 6.) The tension-clamp consists of a spring-clamp, R, having a guide-loop, T, and two conical plugs, S S, so formed as to enter the hole in a spool, as shown in Fig. 1, into which they are pressed by the .springclamp R, thus holding the spool between them and offering resistance to its revolution. The guide-loop Tis so placed that when the tension clamp is applied to the spool and the thread passed through the guide-loop T it will run from the spool through the guide-loop without chafing upon any part of the apparatus; and the tension-clamp should be so constructed and adjusted that the thread will pass from the guide-loop to the bobbin at the point where the latch K bears against the bobbin, and preferably should be as low as practicable without striking upon the latch K or any otherpart of the mechanism 5 and the guide-loop T, which may be of any suitable shape or construction, should be smooth and polished on its inner surface, in order that the thread may run evenly through it and be guided to the bobbin without chafing or catching upon any flaws or irregularities in either the loop or thread.

The trough B,which, together with the tension-guide or tension-clamp and guide-loop, in combination with the other parts described, or their equivalents, constitutes my invention,

consists of a slotted trough of suitable length to allow of the traversing therein of the spool and tension-clamp, as hereinafter described, and deep enough to hold the spool securely, and may be of any desired shape, semicircular or angular, but preferably angular in transverse section, similar to the shape shown in Fig. 2, since sufficient friction is gained-With such shape. The trough B is provided with a longitudinal slot,WV, in the bottom, as shown in Fig. 7, of sufficient length to allow the traversing therein of the tension-clamp for a sufficient distance to completely fill the bobbin from end to end, as hereinafter described.

The operation of my improvement is as follows: The bobbin-winder being so secured to a sewing-machine that when the bobbin is placed between the centers D and F, and the centers and bobbin are pushed toward the end carrying the center D and wheel H far enough to permit the latch K to be brought up against the shaft of the bobbin, the wheel H will be in firm contact at its curved surface with the driving-beltofthesewing-machine. Thespool from which the thread is to be wound upon the bobbin is placed between the conical plugs S S of the tension-clamp R, which is so constructed.

that the spring of the arms R will press the plugs S S into the hole in the spool, so that the spool turns upon them as upon two lathecenters. The thread is passed from the spool through the guide-loop T, and the guideloop and thread being passed through the slot W in the trough B, the spool is laid in the trough B, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It will be found that by now pulling upon the free end of the thread in the direction of the bobbin the spool is pressed against the sides of the trough B, while the pressure of plugs S S upon the spool offers suificient resistance to the revolution of the spool to create a smoothly-acting tension, and the free end of the thread being placed between the center D and the end of the bobbin, when the bobbin is placed between the centers by pressing in the milled head Z, the centers and bobbin are moved along, and the latch K, which is provided with an arm, K, fitted to pass behind and bear against the shoulder of the center F, between the shoulder and the bearing 0, is brought up against the ICC of the bobbin. This brings the wheel H in contact with the belt, and the arm K of the latch, passing between the shoulder F and the bearing 0, holds the parts in the position in which they are thus placed, which is the position shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, the spring L acting, together with the pressure of the belt on the wheel H, to hold the parts in position, as shown. In this position the motion of the belt will revolve the wheel H by friction, and the bobbin, being held in the center D by a lug or pin, as described, is also revolved with the wheel H and center D, while the center F remains stationary. The revolution of the bobbin winds the thread upon it between it and the latch, and the friction of the spool on the plugs S S and trough B causes a tension on the thread tending to retain the spool in place; but as the pressure of the latch K against the bobbin forces the thread to wind in a single layer toward the other end of the bobbin, the progress of the layer of thread draws the tension-clamp and spool along the trough in the direction in which the layer is winding until it reaches the end of the bobbin, when the thread is forced to wind back in the op: posite direction, and the spool is drawn back along the trough, and thus as the winding proceeds the spool, with its tension-clamp, is drawn back and forth along the trough, the tension acting to guide the thread in such manner that the thread is forced to wind upon the bobbin in close, firm, even layers, in which effect the pressure of the latch cooperates, until, when the bobbin has been filled. with thread, the latch is so far pressed out as to pass upon the conical sides of the centers D and F, when the spring L at once throws the centers and bobbin in the direction of the center 0 and draws the wheel H out of contact with the belt and the winding stops, while the motion of the sewingmachine need not be interrupted.

The tension-clamp B may be made adjustable, so as to permit varying degrees of pressure upon the spool, according to the size of thread used, and the plugs S S may be c011- structed to revolve on the arms R; butin practice it will be found that a tension-clamp made of spring-wire, with" the plugs S S fastened to it, is entirely sufficient, and by bending slightly the arms R of the tension-clamp the desired variability of pressure can be obtained.

In the drawings, N N are lugs projecting from the frame A, by which the bobbin-winder is firmly attached, by means of a screw or bolt, 0, to a lug, M, projecting forward from the arm of a sewing-machine; but this, although a desirable method of construction, is no part of my invention.

P I are arms or lugs 011 the latch K, by which it may be hinged to the frame A by means of the same bolt or pin used to fasten the frame to the lug M; 'or any other equivalent device may be used.

Q in Fig. 2 represents a part of the belt operating the mechanism.

V represents a spool of thread lying in the trough B, as in the operation of winding. Z is a milled head on the outer end of the journal of the center F, by means of which the centers and bobbin are more easily pressed into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

The frame A, trough B, and bearings O and O, and the lugs or other device for the attachment of the winder to the sewing-machine may all be cast in one piece or composed of separate parts suitably attached together.

Having thus fully described my invention and improvement, what I claim asv ew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a bobbin-winder for sewing-machines, the combination of a slotted trough, in which the spool from which the thread is to be wound is placed, with the thread-spool and a springclamp applied to the spool, and a guide loop or eye, for the purpose of creating a tension on the thread and guiding it in its passage to the bobbin, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the slotted trough B with the spool V, from which the thread is to be wound, and the tension-clamp It, seated within the slot of the trough, and carrying the conical plugs S, substantially as and for the purposes specified.-

3. The combination of the slotted trough B with the tension-clamp R, seated within the slot of the trough and carrying conical plugs S, guideloop T, and thread-spool V, substantially as and for the purposes described and specified.

4. The combination of the slotted trough B, the tension-clamp R, seated within the slot of the trough and carrying plugs S, the spool V, and latch K, with the bobbin E, wheel H,

spring L, and sliding centers D and F, all arranged and operating to wind the bobbin evenly and discontinue the winding when the bobbin is filled, substantially as described.

rHoMAs J". CAIN.

\Vitnesscs:

S. D. HownLLs,

.T. V'nnsun. 

